How It Hurts
by velvie
Summary: Dick gets severely injured on patrol and is hospitalised. How will everyone cope without him?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys. This is the first chapter of my new fic. Enjoy! ~velvie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or any Batman characters.**

"Nightwing, behind you!" Robin yelled. Nightwing turned just in time to see the Joker bring down a knife into his chest. He let out a gasp of pain as the knife sank deep into his lower chest and tore through his torso. The last thing he saw was the Joker's menacing smile.

"Nightwing! Get up you jerk!" the words of his youngest brother resonated in his ears as everything faded away. The unbearable pain suddenly lifted and the world stopped.

"Calm down Damian, he's gonna be fine." Barbara sighed into the phone for the 5th time. The early morning wind blew her hair gently into her face. She had been at the hospital with Dick all night waiting for him to get out of surgery. The Joker's knife had severely wounded him but not quite killed him, and his chances of recovery had improved slightly as the surgery was a success. They just needed him to wake up.

"Miss Gordon, could we speak with you a moment?" a young assistant peered round the main doorway and spoke quietly so she didn't disturb the call.

"Yeah sure, one sec. Okay Damian, I'll call you later. I've got to go now." She pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up, worrying about Damian now as well as Dick. She followed the assistant inside and was led to a small room marked private. The assistant gestured for Barbara to sit down. She slumped into the nearest chair and waited for the girl to sit opposite.

"We've been trying to contact Mr. Wayne to let him know of his son's condition. So far we have been unable to contact him, and we have no other record of any family. Do you know of anyone we could contact in the meantime?" the female assistant said, her quiet voice barely sounding in Barbara's ears. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had no idea that Bruce was missing. She had just assumed he was on a business trip or something. Her thoughts then went back to Damian. He shouldn't be left alone in the manor, and Tim and Stephanie weren't really supposed to be either. She'd have to call somebody after this. In the meantime, she thought of who the assistant could call for Dick.

"You could try Alfred Pennyworth. He's Bruce Wayne's butler and he's kind of like Dick's adoptive grandfather." Barbara said, shrugging. The assistant pushed a pen and paper towards Barbara and asked for Alfred's details. He was currently visiting family in England so she had to flick through her emergency contacts to find his details. She scribbled them down quickly and stood up to leave.

"Thank you, Miss Gordon." The girl said, smiling. Barbara smiled back then quickly left the room, dialling the manor's number.

"Damian, who's there with you?" Barbara almost yelled as soon as he picked up.

"Only Drake and Brown. Why?" he said quite innocently. For once he was trying not to cause trouble. He was worried about his favourite brother, but he wouldn't admit it to anyone but himself.

"You're too young to be alone! I've gotta make a call." Barbara replied before hanging up. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the one she needed.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice mumbled down the phone.

"Hey Artemis, it's Barbara. I need a favour."

"At 5am?!" Artemis complained.

"Yes. Listen, I need you to get down to Gotham as fast as you can and go to Wayne Manor. I need you to babysit for a little while." Barbara instructed.

"Why do you need me to do it?" Artemis whined, still half asleep. Barbara wondered whether she should trouble Artemis with the news. She sighed and began to explain.

"Dick was badly hurt last night and I need to be here at the hospital with him." Artemis sat upright in her bed, wide awake.

"Dick was hurt? How badly?" she asked, worrying about her friend.

"You can come see for yourself later." Barbara replied quietly.

"So why do you need me to babysit?" Artemis queried. She had already gotten out of bed and begun to pull on some clothes.

"Bruce has disappeared and Alfred is in England. You were the first person I thought to call. I guess I could have called someone else, but you're well known by the family and they all like you and I trust you and please." Barbara said in one breath.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Artemis said before cutting the line. Barbara sighed once again before heading back into the hospital to sit by Dick's bed again.

Artemis was still shocked at the news. She stumbled around the room, pulling on clothes and dragging a brush through her hair. She then ran across to Wally's room to wake him.

"Wally! Get up. We need to go to Gotham." She whispered urgently. Wally groaned and tried to push her away.

"Can't it wait? It's 5am." He muttered.

"No, it can't wait. We're needed. Now." She replied, pushing off the other side of the bed. Wally landed with a thud and sat up on the floor.

"Ow! What's so important in Gotham right now?" he asked, rubbing his head where it had hit the ground.

"Barbara needs us to babysit at Dick's house. I'll explain the rest later." She told him. He sighed as he pushed himself off of the floor and shuffled over to find some clothes. Once he was dressed they grabbed a few items of clothing and bathroom necessities and shoved them in an overnight bag. They had no idea how long they'd be there, but Artemis had a hunch they'd be staying a little while. The pair headed into town to find their nearest zeta beam station.

"So why is this so urgent?" Wally asked.

"Dick got hurt and Barbara needs us to babysit while she stays at the hospital with Dick." Artemis sighed. Wally stopped in the street.

"Woah, hold on. Dick got hurt? Why didn't you tell me this before!" he had to stop himself from yelling and waking the whole street.

"I would have told you at the apartment but we needed to get moving and you were being slow." She countered. Wally narrowed his eyes and doubled his walking speed. Artemis jogged to keep up. They arrived at the zeta tube and entered the coordinates for Gotham.

"Hey Dick" Barbara said quietly as she entered her friend's hospital room. She didn't think he could hear her, but she needed to talk to stop the tears. "If only you knew what kind of mess you'd left everyone in. Damian is worried about you. I'll bring him up here to visit one day when you're a little better. I'm sure Tim and Steph are worried too. I asked Artemis to babysit while I stay here with you. No doubt she brought Wally along, so maybe they'll come visit too. Alfred might come too when he gets back from England. Bruce… well I'm sure if Bruce knew you were hurt he'd be here right now. I won't give up trying to contact him, though." She just let the words pour out of her mouth. Silent tears trickled down her face as she spoke, but she refused to cry in front of Dick. Even if he was comatose.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. The second one will be up soon. If you have any ideas or suggestions for this story, don't hesitate to let me know. Review! ~velvie**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here you go, guys. Have another chapter. I'm getting really into writing this. ~velvie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Artemis and Wally stopped in front of the large manor doors. Wally took hold of the old brass knocker and gave the door a firm bang. Seconds later the door flew open to reveal Damian.

"Crock, West. What do you want?" he queried, eyes narrowed.

"Barbara sent us. That's all you need to know." Artemis replied, stepping in to the manor. Wally followed and pushed the door closed behind him.

"I guess you know what happened then." Damian muttered.

"Kinda. Details are sketchy, but we know the basics." Artemis replied quietly. An awkward silence filled the hallway until footsteps were heard from the top of the stairs.

"Hey guys, what brings you here?" Steph asked, smiling. Artemis told her why they had come to stay.

"Oh. Well do you know any more about Dick? Damian hogs the phone when Babs calls and we never get to hear about him." Tim asked, shooting a glare at Damian.

"Sorry, 'fraid not. I'm gonna go up to the hospital later to see him myself." Wally replied. He turned to Artemis to silently check that it was okay if he went, and she gave him a small nod. The room was silent again for a few moments, only to be broken by the sound of Artemis' phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, it's Babs. Are you there yet?" Barbara spoke.

"Yeah, I'm here. I brought Wally too. He wants to come up later to see Dick. It that okay?" Artemis asked her friend.

"That's fine, I guess. I'll call if anything changes. How are they?" Barbars asked, referring to the other Bats.

"They're all fine." Artemis said. She noticed Damian holding out an arm, reaching for the phone. "Damian wants to talk to you. Shall I pass you over?"

"Fine, quickly." Barbara sighed.

"How is he, Gordon?" Damian demanded.

"Same as he was earlier." She replied simply.

"Is he gonna be okay?" he fired another question at her.

"He'll be fine, Damian. I told you already. I have to go now; I promise I'll call later." Barbara sighed, wishing she could do more for the young boy. The phone line clicked off.

"Here, Crock." Damian said, thrusting the phone in Artemis' direction. She took it and shoved it into her pocket. She received a text, and sighed as she reached back into her pocket.

_Don't let Damian convince Wally to bring him to the hospital. I think it's best if all of the kids keep away for now. – Babs_

Artemis glanced over at the youngest Bat, who had slumped onto the couch and was now flicking mindlessly through the TV channels. She felt bad for him, but knew that if she tried to comfort him he'd resist.

Wally stopped and looked up at the building looming over him. He sighed and made his way through the automatic doors and into the reception area.

"Hello sir, who are you looking for?" a young girl said from behind the desk.

"I'm here to see Richard Grayson" Wally said. It felt weird using his full name.

"He's up on floor six, third door on your right." The girl replied, smiling. He nodded in thanks and headed over to the elevator. On the way up, he tried to prepare himself for whatever state his best friend was in. When he arrived in front of the door, he paused a moment to take a deep breath.

"Hey Wally" Barbara said as he stepped inside. He relaxed a little when he couldn't see any wounds.

"Hey Babs. So what happened?" he replied, taking a seat next to Dick's bed.

"He was patrolling Gotham with Damian when the Joker attacked them. Dick had his back turned for one moment and when he turned around the Joker stuck a knife in him." Babs explained quietly. Wally sat silently as he took it in.

"So have you seen the-" his question was cut short when Babs shook her head. "Do you want to?" another head shake.

"I know they're bad. They explained to me what they were like. But most of the damage was internal. Scars will heal and fade, but only if the rest of the body works." She said, a silent tear escaping as she spoke. She covered her face with her hands as more tears fell. Wally moved around the bed to where she was sat and hugged her.

"He's gonna be okay, Babs. Dick is always okay." Wally comforted, trying to believe the words he was saying.

"Wally, you don't understand. They said that he might not be okay. Every hour that passes and he doesn't wake up, his survival chances decrease. He's been out for hours." She sobbed into Wally's shoulder.

"He will be fine, Babs. This is the Boy Wonder we're talking about. He's always fine in the end." He soothed. "I think you need to get some sleep. Would you be fine with that? I could stay here and watch Dick while you went back to your house or the manor. If you really must you could sleep here. But you've been up all night and you need to get some rest."

"But what if something happens? I need to be here." She whispered, her voice hoarse from crying.

"You'll be no good if you're tired. I promise that if anything happens I'll call immediately." Wally told her. "Go back to the manor. You'll get a good sleep there, the beds are comfy, as I'm sure you know. Artemis will be there too, you guys can catch up. Please Babs?"

"I'll be back as soon as possible, West. Got it?" Babs said, standing up and pulling on her jacket.

"Got it. Sleep well, Babs." Wally watched his friend leave and sighed with relief. He was often seen as a laid back prankster, but when he needed to be, he was serious and full of concern for his friends.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, reviews are welcome! ~velvie**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm happy to see you guys are enjoying this, so have another chapter! ~velvie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Barbara woke up at the table in her apartment next to a nearly empty bottle of gin. She groaned as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She reached over for her phone which was beside the bottle. The brightness of the screen hurt her eyes, but she needed to check her messages. She had 5 messages:

_Hey Babs, just checking if you're okay. Dick's still the same. – Wally_

_Hey Babs, are you okay? Everything's the same over here. – Wally_

_Wally said you went home. You okay? – Artemis_

_Just thought I'd let you know everything's still okay. – Wally_

_Come over when you wake up. Hope you're okay. – Artemis_

She was only slightly relieved to know that nothing had changed while she was asleep. She had wanted to hear that Dick was getting better, but at least she knew he wasn't getting worse. She stood up and took the bottle of gin back into the kitchen before pulling on a jacket and boots and stepping out into the bright sunshine. The walk to the manor was refreshing but Barbara was too worried about Dick to enjoy it. When she arrived, she let herself in to find everyone was awake and going about their days as usual.

"Hey" Artemis spoke up from the doorway to the sitting room, making Barbara jump.

"Hey Artemis" she replied wearily.

"How are you feeling?" Artemis asked as the two sat down on the couch.

"Worried, tired, hungover." Barbara said. Artemis raised an eyebrow at the last part.

"One of those nights, huh? I understand. I take it you'll be heading back up to the hospital today." Barbara replied with a nod.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" she queried.

"It's not good for people to be alone, especially when someone dear to them is injured." Artemis said, standing up. "That, and I'm cooking breakfast." She added, smiling a little. Barbara smiled slightly herself and going to the kitchen with Artemis. They were about to sit down at the table with their breakfasts when Barbara's phone buzzed.

_Babs, you might want to get down here. – Wally_

"Artemis, I need to get over to the hospital! Can you drive me there?" Barbara yelled, heading for the door.

"I don't have a car here" Artemis replied. Barbara tossed a set of keys in her direction.

"Then take this one. It's the one out the front here. Dick and I have keys to it for emergencies." She explained as she stepped outside and headed for the car. Artemis shrugged and followed her friend.

"Okay, I'm here." Barbara said as she and Artemis entered the room.

"All these monitors have been going crazy. The doctor guy said it either meant something really good or something really bad." Wally reported.

"Let's hope it's something really good." Artemis muttered.

"I think we should leave Babs here alone for a little while. Call us if anything happens." Wally said, suppressing a yawn. Wally and Artemis left the room, and Babs took her seat next to Dick.

"Dick, can you hear now? Will you wake up and get better? We all want you to do that. We all know you can, Boy Wonder." She took his hand gently. "Please Dick. Your brothers and Steph need you. Bruce and Alfred need you. The team needs you. I need you." Dick let out a long exhale of breath. Barbara turned to him to see that his face was ever so slightly twitching. She dropped his hand to get a nurse.

"Where am I and what am I doing here?" Dick asked when he'd finally come round.

"You're in the hospital because you sustained a near fatal wound." A nurse informed him.

"The wound part? Yeah, I can feel that." He replied, wincing in pain. The nurse then adjusted a drip and his face eased up.

"You need to rest now, Mr. Grayson." The nurse said before leaving the room. Barbara started moving towards the door.

"Babs stop. Come back and tell me everything that's happened." Dick said weakly.

"You need to rest." She replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I just came out of a coma, how much more rest do I need?" he countered. Barbara smirked and sat back down.

"Okay, so Damian told me what happened. You guys were fighting the Joker then he stabbed you in the one second that you had your guard down. Then from there, Damian had to call the paramedics and then get off your Nightwing suit because he knew you'd rather die a hero than live life unmasked. Then he called me and told me to get to the hospital, so I did. Then they operated on you, as you can probably tell. Then for the next 36 hours or so you were in a coma and we were starting to lose hope because we were getting nothing from you then this happened and here we are." She explained.

"Hey Babs, lean in for a sec" Dick said. Barbara obeyed and Dick raised an eyebrow. "Gin, Babs? Really?"

"Hey! Why are we making this about me! You nearly died, and instead of you trying to get better by resting or asking questions about important stuff, you decide to question me on what I had to drink?" Barbara cried, smiling slightly. This meant that he was going to be okay after all.

"Okay. I'll tell you what; I'm going to give you a series of questions all in one go, and you're going to answer them. You ready? Here goes: How bad is the damage? What happened to Damian? Who's at the manor with the others? Where's Bruce? Will I be able to be Nightwing again?" he listed the questions that were plaguing his mind.

"I don't know how bad the damage is, your insides were pretty messed up but I think they fixed that all up. Damian came to the hospital with you but I took him home. Artemis and Wally are at the manor with the others right now and they've both been up to see you, Wally took over here after he made me go home and sleep. I don't know where Bruce is, the hospital haven't been able to contact him and I haven't had time to try, however I think Alfred has been contacted. I don't know whether you'll be able to be Nightwing again but I have to say I don't think your chances are great." She paused at that to give Dick a chance to let it sink in.

"I see." Dick replied flatly.

"I'm sorry Dick." Barbara said, trying to comfort her friend.

"Don't be. I need to rest. Go tell the others I'm fine and maybe bring Damian later. Try and contact Bruce. I just need some time alone to think things through." Dick told her. She nodded and made her way out of the door. Dick hung his head and sighed; his whole life was about to change.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. If you have any suggestions at all don't hesitate to let me know. Review! ~velvie**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for following, favouriting and reviewing this story! I hope you're all enjoying it so far. ~velvie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

"Grayson! Get up you jerk!" Dick heard his brother yelling. He groaned, blinked open his eyes and realised that this wasn't just some awful dream.

"Hey Dami" he said sleepily, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair. Damian ducked under Dick's hand and pushed it away.

"Trust you to go and get yourself hurt, Grayson." Damian said.

"I know you were worried about me, Dami. You don't need to worry anymore, I'm fine." Dick smirked as he spoke.

"Whatever." Damian muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So how are Tim and Steph?" Dick tried to change the subject.

"They're fine. Still idiots." Damian replied. Dick frowned at Damian's rude remark. Damian made sure the door was firmly closed then sat down in the chair beside Dick.

"So why were you so desperate to see me then?" Dick said, teasing his brother a little.

"Maybe I was a little bit worried about you, Grayson. I can tolerate you better than those other idiots." He admitted, trying not to give away how much he cared for his older brother.

"Thanks. I try my hardest to be tolerable." Dick replied, smiling.

"Can I see the scar?" Damian asked.

"Sure thing Dami." Dick said. He pushed the bed cover down and carefully pulled the hospital gown up to reveal the large scar trailing down his stomach.

"Ouch. That looks painful. But it's pretty cool." Damian remarked, staring at the scar and examining it carefully. It was surrounded by many other faded scars from previous fights, but none had ever looked as impressive as this one. Dick adjusted the gown then pulled the covers back up a little.

"So are you gonna patrol Gotham with Barbara? She already said she'd take you with her." Dick asked.

"I'll think about it. Better than patrolling with Drake, I guess." Damian scoffed. Dick shook his head at his brother's hatred and contempt.

"Dami, I need you to try and get on with Tim and Steph while Artemis and Wally are there. They aren't as cool as me when it comes to you being… well, you. So just try while I'm gone?" Dick asked, hoping his little brother would behave while he was gone. If he said yes, then Dick had one less thing to worry about.

"Fine. But you so owe me for this, Grayson." Damian huffed in reply. Dick smiled and ruffled his brother's hair.

"So how'd Grayson wrap you around his little finger, Robin?" Batgirl asked, using Dick's last name the same way Damian does. Robin narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"He hasn't got me wrapped around his little finger; I'm doing this because I want to. Also, don't call him Grayson. Only I can do that. And he's not Grayson out here, he's Nightwing." Robin spat angrily.

"Maybe not…" Batgirl sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin demanded.

"While your brother is alive now, I'm afraid Nightwing might be gone forever." Batgirl said quietly, placing a hand on the young boy's shoulder. Robin jerked his shoulder away from her hand.

"He's gonna be fine! He's always fine! That jerk is always fine!" Robin screamed at Batgirl. He pulled his grappling hook from his utility belt and jumped off the building before Batgirl could say another word.

"So he took it badly, huh?" Dick sighed. He hung his head, letting his hair mask the sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Barbara said, the guilt she felt was becoming overwhelming. She wasn't to blame for anything, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Damian's anger at the news was because of her.

"You shouldn't be. You did nothing wrong." Dick told her. "Now I need to ask you something. If I can't resume the mantle of Nightwing, I want you to take Damian and train him. If there's no Batman and no Nightwing, he'll have no partner or role model and Gotham will be rife with crime with nobody to stop it."

"He doesn't like me, Dick. He'd never listen to me." Barbara sighed as she slumped further into her usual seat.

"Babs, I need you to do this. Damian needs Robin just like I needed Robin all those years ago, and just like you need Batgirl." Dick pleaded. Batgirl tried to think how it could possibly work.

"I'll try. But this is only if you don't recover. Dick Grayson if anyone can recover from this it's you so you'd better do it." She replied, smiling a little.

**A/N: I hope to keep updating often but I've hit some writer's block. Maybe it'll be gone by tomorrow. Review! ~velvie**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all your responses to this story! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. ~velvie**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

"I guess it still hurts?" Wally asked, examining Dick's scar in a similar way to how Damian had the day before.

"Kinda. It was never really painful, but that's probably down to whatever it is they're putting into me." Dick joked. "I'm so bored. I mean, it's great that you guys all visit a lot but I'm just bored of being contained. I need to be free." He complained.

"You can be free later. Remember last time you tried to 'be free'?" Wally teased.

_7 years ago_

_"Wally, I'm bored. I need to be free." Dick complained. The 15 year old had been hospitalised after the Joker had left him with minor injuries and breathing difficulties from his new 'Joker Smoke'._

_"Dude, you've just got to wait. You'll get yourself in trouble!" Wally pleaded with his best friend who was already climbing out of the hospital bed._

_"Relax, I'm just gonna go for a little walk then I'll come right back. No problem." Dick shrugged. He yanked the drips free from his hand and left the room. Wally groaned and walked after him._

_"Seriously dude, you're gonna get in trouble!" Wally said quietly to ensure none of the nurses heard._

_"Wally, chill. Can't you see I'm fi-" Dick coughed violently and dropped to his knees. Wally panicked briefly before running to get a nurse. He couldn't use his super speed, but luckily that wasn't necessary. The nurse helped the coughing and shaking boy off the ground and back into his bed, where she then scolded him for his foolish behaviour._

"That might have been more successful if I'd just left the damn drips in!" Dick said defensively.

"Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Wally said, smirking.

Dick awoke later that day to find Barbara in her usual seat.

"Hey Babs. How long have you been here?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

"Long enough to notice you were in pain and get them to fix your morphine before you woke up. You're welcome." She replied. "Also long enough to hear you talking in your sleep. Apparently you miss your old team, particularly a certain magician. I made some calls and they're gonna come visit. You're welcome, again." A smirk lit up her face when she saw Dick scowling.

"Thanks" Dick sneered, secretly grateful for what she'd done while he was asleep. "So, what brings you here?"

"I was bored. I would have gone to the manor but I thought you could use the company. Oh and I have news; Alfred's on his way back." Barbara told her friend. The two then sat around in silence for a few moments until Dick spoke up.

"Barbara, what was it like? Before you became Oracle. How did it feel?" Dick asked quietly, fear and worry evident in his eyes. She couldn't lie to him at a time like this. He needed to know how she'd really felt, as he may have to go through the same thing.

"It wasn't great. I felt like a part of me had been taken away. Batgirl had been killed. I was lost, dead inside. I know that's probably not comforting at all, but it's the truth." She said, not making eye contact. She thought back to the day her world fell apart.

_3 years ago_

_"I'm sorry Miss Gordon, I'm afraid you'll never walk again." The doctor informed her, sympathy edging his voice. She shook her head in disbelief. This couldn't be true. One bullet was all it took to bring her life to a standstill. At that moment she wished the bullet had killed her._

_"No, that can't be right! There must be something that can fix this!" she yelled, anger building up inside her. Her father grabbed her hand to try and comfort her._

_"I'm sorry Barb, there's nothing they can do for you." He said quietly. He wanted that to be a lie as much as she did. She pulled her hand away to cover her face, hiding her obvious tears. She'd worked so hard to become Batgirl, given up so much and come so far. It was all over now._

Barbara wiped away the tears that had formed as she thought back to that memory. She took a deep breath to compose herself, and then looked up at Dick. She could see that he was contemplating what he would do if he couldn't be Nightwing anymore. Although Damian was the only biological son of Bruce Wayne, Dick was the heir to his company. With Bruce gone, Dick knew he would have to take a position there. But money wasn't important to him. Money couldn't provide the thrill of fighting crime, or the happiness felt by doing good.

"Just remember this, Dick; they said I'd be paralysed for life, but here I am now." She said as she stood up and left Dick on his own to think.

**A/N: Next chapter should be up soon. Until then, review! ~velvie**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I hope you enjoy this chapter. ~velvie**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Dick awoke to a knock on the door. He figured it wouldn't be anyone special, so he just gave his eyes a quick rub before telling whoever it was to come in. The door opened and to Dick's surprise Conner and M'gann walked in.

"Hey guys. I'd say I wasn't expecting you, but I kinda was." Dick said as he tried to smooth his hair down with his hands.

"What happened to you?" M'gann asked worriedly.

"Joker attack. I'm fine now." Dick replied, trying to comfort his concerned friend. "So how have you guys been?"

"We're fine." Conner replied in his usual blunt manner. "What were you doing in Gotham, anyway? I thought you moved to Blüdhaven."

"Batman's gone AWOL. I figured it couldn't hurt to take over the night patrol sometimes until he got back. How wrong I was." Dick chuckled.

"Wait, Batman's missing? Since when?" M'gann asked.

"Couple days. I thought he'd be back by now but there's been no sign of him." Dick sighed. While everyone else was worrying about him, he was worrying about Bruce.

"Are you gonna be able to continue being Nightwing?" Conner asked. Dick let out a long sigh and shrugged his shoulders.

"I really don't know. I want to be, it's everything I've worked for. But I don't know if it'll be possible anymore." Dick said quietly, sadness plaguing every word. M'gann reached over and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry" she whispered as she pulled him close. Conner placed an awkward hand on Dick's shoulder.

"Ah" Dick drew a pained breath.

"Oh, sorry! Did I hurt you?" M'gann gasped. Dick shook his head.

"No, no. Don't be sorry. It's just a little painful that's all." Dick whispered as he grimaced in pain.

"Shall I get the nurse?" she asked. Dick shook his head again.

"I'll be fine." He replied, regaining composure.

"Can I see the scar?" Conner asked inquisitively. Dick was slightly taken aback by Conner's question as it was a little out of character, but none-the-less he raised the hospital gown to show off the horrific scar. M'gann gasped when she saw it and even Conner's eyes widened at the sight of it. Dick was starting to get used to showing off his scar and knew he'd have to do it a few more times yet.

"That looks… painful." Conner commented. Dick let the gown settle back over the scar.

"It's not so bad thanks to my good old friend morphine" Dick joked. Seeing Dick smile made M'gann and Conner smile too. They knew that he was in for a rough time but seeing him so positive made them happy. They left with confidence that their friend would be fine.

Dick was woken yet again by a knock on the door.

"Whoever it is just come in" He yawned. Kaldur poked his head around the door before entering the room.

"My apologies if I woke you. I can come back later if you wish to sleep more." Kaldur apologised.

"It's cool, I was just waking up anyway." Dick said, lying to make his friend feel less guilty.

"So I heard that the Joker is responsible for this?" Kaldur asked. Dick nodded.

"He's responsible for a lot of things." He replied.

"Raquel asked that I apologised to you for she will be unable to visit soon." Kaldur said. Dick shrugged and smiled.

"Tell her no biggie. Oh, and tell her I say hi." He knew that Kaldur and Raquel had remained good friends since first meeting 9 years ago on the team.

"I'll be sure to pass on the message. Now, if you don't mind me asking, may I see the scar? I'd like to know what damage this criminal has done to you, my friend." Kaldur asked. Dick smirked because he knew Kaldur would ask. He also knew that Kaldur was just curious.

"Kal, I know you're just curious like everyone else. You're probably telling the truth about wanting to know, but I can tell you really want to see the scar." Dick said, grinning.

"That is true." Kaldur sighed, smirking back. Dick pulled up the gown for the second time that day to reveal the scar he'd been left with. Kaldur raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That looks painful. Does it hurt you still?"

"It never really did. I've been on a morphine drip since I woke up so I don't know whether it ever hurt. It hurts when people touch it, though." Dick said honestly. He once again replaced the gown.

"How long will recovery take?" Kaldur asked.

"I have no idea. Hopefully not long, but who knows?" Dick replied, letting out a little yawn at the end.

"I can see that you are still tired and you need to rest. I can come back some other time." Kaldur said, moving towards the door.

"It's okay, Kal. You can stay, I can sleep anytime." Dick yawned. He silently cursed himself for yawning.

"No my friend, resting will help your recovery. I will be sure to come by again." Kaldur told him. He turned to leave, and as he closed the door, he saw that Dick was already asleep.

"Hello Boy Wonder" a voice sounded in Dick's ears. He blinked his eyes open to find Zatanna stood right beside him.

"The others had the decency to knock." He said jokingly as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I didn't want to disturb you." She replied simply, smirking. Dick knew she'd probably been up to something, but she'd never tell.

"Haha. Anyway, how have you been? It's been a while." Dick said. It really had been a while. The two had not seen each other in months, despite being very close.

"I've been… fine." She hesitated, and then smiled to try and cover it up.

"You sure? Took you a while to say that." Dick questioned. He could tell something wasn't right.

"Yeah I'm sure. I'd ask how you've been, but I guess this situation sums it up pretty well?" she laughed. Dick decided to let it go for now, he could always find out what was up another time.

"You could say that." Dick sighed. He smiled to relieve some of the sadness behind the words but it was no use. Zatanna could always see through his act.

"What's up?" She asked, frowning worriedly. She took the seat next to his bed and ran a hand through his dark hair. Dick cursed under his breath as a tear that had been threatening to escape ever since he woke up finally rolled down his cheek.

"That may have been my last night as Nightwing." He sighed as he clenched his eyes and fists to stop the wave of tears from coming. Zatanna pulled him into her embrace and held him tight.

"I'm so sorry, Dick." She whispered. Dick pulled away from her.

"Don't be sorry for me. It was my fault; I got what was coming to me. If Batman had seen this, he'd be ashamed. He's taught me better and I shouldn't have turned my back on the Joker for one second. I'm ashamed of myself, and I don't deserve to be Nightwing anymore." Dick buried his face in his hands and completely broke down in front of Zatanna. He could only ever be like this in front of Barbara and Zatanna; only they had seen the scared little boy behind the hero's mask.

"But Dick, this is you. You are Nightwing. What will you do now?" She fretted.

"I guess I'll take my place at Wayne Tech. With Bruce gone I-"

"Woah, hold up. Bruce is gone? Gone where?" Zatanna cut him off.

"I don't know. He's been gone for only a few days, but it's unlike him to disappear without trace and leave us completely unable to contact him. That's what brought me to Gotham in the first place." Dick shrugged. He was starting to accept that Bruce may or may not come back soon. Although to begin with he had forgotten that Bruce was missing, when Barbara had said she didn't know where he was, the memory of his disappearance had become crystal clear:

_3 days ago_

_"Grayson! Get over here you jerk! Father's gone!" The message that was being left on his phone jolted him awake. Bruce was missing? He picked up the phone and dialled the manor. Damian picked up._

_"Hey Dami, what's going on?" Dick's sleepy voice asked down the phone._

_"Father's gone. I woke up this morning and apparently he never came back after patrol." Damian said. He was trying to sound like his normal self but his fear gave a slight edge to his words._

_"Wait, why weren't you on patrol with him?" Dick questioned._

_"He said I couldn't come. Maybe he knew he wasn't going to come back. Maybe he planned this." He speculated._

_"Calm down, Damian. I'm sure Bruce is fine." Dick soothed, although he couldn't help but wonder about the awful things that could have happened._

_"Whatever. Alfred's not here either and I don't want to be left alone with these losers. Will you come over?" Damian's question made Dick smile. He knew that the young boy had respect for him. He also knew that the respect was a sign of affection._

_"I'm on my way, Dami." Dick said. He hung up the phone and sighed; why now?_

"Nothing's really going your way right now, hey Boy Wonder?" Zatanna sighed.

"Did they ever?" Dick said, smirking a little to hide the sadness. The two sat in silence for a few moments before Dick let out a big yawn.

"Aw, is somebody sleepy?" Zatanna teased. She ruffled his hair and he scowled playfully.

"Haha" Dick scoffed before yawning again. Zatanna giggled before getting up.

"I guess I'll leave you to sleep then. Good night, yoB rednoW." She said quietly before kissing him on the forehead. She smiled to herself as she left the room and Dick fell asleep with a big grin on his face.

**A/N: I hope you like it. I hope to get the next chapter up soon. Review! ~velvie**


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